Apple's days as
the only big player on the market may be numbered, though. At
Google's I/O conference last month, the company previewed a web-based
service for developers. AndTechCrunch two
weeks ago discovered a
"Google Music" logo hosted by the company. Now CNET
has
joined the buzz, citing numerous
industry sources as saying a launch of Google Music could come as
soon as the fall.

Google enjoys one critical advantage that
could allow its rebel service to ultimately crush Apple's music
empire. That advantage is search.

Close to a billion
users visit Google every day, many of them searching for bands,
songs, and album titles. By tying these searches to
subscription-based streaming services and web-based digital downloads
akin to iTunes, many music executives believe that Google may promise
more sales than Apple.

Its rivals have tried to keep Google
out of the music business. After Lala and iLike teamed with
Google to offer streaming music with searches, Apple snatched up Lala
and Myspace acquired iLike and both companies shut down the
streaming.

The decision by Google to launch its own service is
like a dream come true for music labels. They are reportedly
fed up with Apple, which currently sells over one quarter of
the total music
sold (digital or otherwise). However, the current competition
-- Amazon.com and Myspace Music -- lack the sales to pose a serious
threat, which means that Apple gets to dictate whatever terms it
wants to the labels. That's a situation that they're not very
satisfied with.

Zahavah Levine, YouTube's general counsel who
previously worked with RealNetworks' Rhapsody music subscription
service, is reportedly working to cook up the new service.
YouTube has already enjoyed success in the music business thanks to
its plethora of music videos.

Google's new service reportedly
will have many unique features. Among them will be the ability
to stream music from a library on your PC to your Android
smartphone. Google picked up a company called Simplify that
developed this technology. Google's service is also reportedly
going to be cloud based -- available exclusively as a web
application. While Apple is also reportedly working on a cloud
version of iTunes, Google reportedly wants to beat Cupertino to the
punch.

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Can we finally say that Microsoft is not the Monopoly some like to claim it is? This may seem off topic but with many areas Microsoft doesn't have clear dominance can we finally end the Monopoly name calling?